Garment



OGL 29, 1935. A FLESH 2,018,665

` GARMENT Filed June 6, l1935 ATTORNEYS mentes oef. 29, 193s PAT-ENT GFFICE GARMENT Alfred L. Flesh, Piqua, Ohio, assignor to The Atlas Underwear Company, Piqua., Ohio. a corporation o Ohio Application June 6, 1935, Serial No. 25,251

3 Claims.

This invention relates to garments and is concerned more particularly with a novel garment which, when worn, has the appearance of an ordinary outer shirt, but which also serves the purposes of an athletic supporter and underwear of the trunks type. 'I'he new garment is specially suited for athletic wear, and it may be cut in sizes and styles appropriate for men, women, and children. For purposes of explanation, a mans style of garment will be illustrated and described in detail, and the diierences between such a garment and thosefor Women and children will be readily understood.

The new garment comprises an upper section or top, which has the ordinary form of an outer shirt, and this section is provided with the usual neck opening and a front opening extending downward therefrom to a point slightly below the waistline. The outer shirt section may be formed either with y or without an attached collar and it may have short sleeves commonly employed in athletic shirts, or sleeves of the ordinary length. Connected to the lower end of the outer shirt section of the garment is a lower section or bottom, which constitutes the supporter and may also be cut to form trunks. This lower section includes a front member which may be provided with a fly opening and a rear member having a free upper edge extending across the garment and providing a drop seat. The bottom edges of the iront and rear members are connected together in such manner as to leave leg openings and preferably the connection is resilient in a direction through the crotch when the garment is worn. If desired, this connection may be made by means of a crotch insert.

For a better understanding of the invention, reference may be made to the accompanying drawing in which Fig. l is a view of the new garment in the iront elevation with certain parts broken away;

Fig. 2 is a view of the garment in rear elevation; and

Figs. 3, 4, and 5, are sectional views on the lines 3 3, 4 4, and 5-5, respectively, of Fig. 1.

Referring to the drawing, the garment illustrated includes a. top section Il) which has the form of an outer shirt, this section having a neck opening II and a front opening I2. In the construction illustrated, the garment is provided with an attached collar I3, but this collar may be omitted if desired. The section I is also shown as provided with short sleeves I 4 of the athletic type, but longer sleeves may be used, or the sleeves may be wholly omitted.

The front opening I2 is closed by the usual overlapping hems I5 and I6 on the two portions I1 and I8 making up the front of the shirt, the underlying hem I5 being provided with buttons which are received in button holes in the overlapping hem I6. The front opening extends downward from the neck opening to -a point slightly below the waistline of the garment.-

The back I9 of the top section is of ordinary construction and extends down substantially be- 10 low the waistline of the garment, having the usual form of the tail of a shirt.

At its lower end, the upper section is connected to the lower section or bottom, generally designated 20, and this lower section constitutes the I supporter part of the garment and may, it desired, be cut in the form of trunks, as illustrated. The lower section includes a front member 2|, which maybe secured by stitching to the lower end of the front of the outer shirt section, or may be formed as a continuation thereof. This front member 2 I is provided with a ily opening and, for this purpose, may be provided with an insert 22 centrally cf the lower edge thereof. 'I'he insert 22 is formed of a pair of members 22a and 22bwhich overlap lengthwise of the garment to provide a fly opening, and the overlapping member 22a has a free edge 23, which extends from a point at the top of the insert 22 at one side of the middle thereof along a generally diagonal line toward one edge y of the insert. By forming this edge so that it extends diagonally, as described, the edge is under lengthwise strain at all times when the garment is being worn, and this prevents the edge from sagging and the opening from gaping. The insert 22 extends downwardly beyond the lower edges 24 of the member 2I and at its lower end, the insert may be connected to an insert 25 which extends through the crotch when the garment is worn and is connected to the ycentral portion of the bottom y edge of the back 26 of the lower section.

I'he insert 25 is made of a material which is extensible in the direction in the length of the garment, and is preferably of resilientmaterial as, for example, the insert 25 may be made of 45 a knitted material having its wales extending transverse of the garment, two or more thicknesses of such material being usually employed for the insert. If increased resilience is desired, the insert 25 may be made of a fabric in which 50 vresilient yarn is employed, such for example, as that commercially known as Lastex. By making insert 25 resilient, the lower section of the garment fits the body snuglyand provides the desired support. It desired, the insert 25 may 55 be dispensed with and in that case, the lower edge of the insert 22 is connected directly to the central portion of the bottom edge of the back of the lower section. If no crotch insert is employed, it is preferable to increase the resilience and yielding qualities of that portion of the garment which extends through the crotch and this may be accomplished by employing a. resilient yarn, such as that known commercially as Lastex, for making the connection between the lower end of the insert 22 and the bottom edge of the back 26, as by providing resilient hems on the insert 22 and the bottom edge referred to and connecting the hems together.

'I he back member 26 of the lower section is connected along the sides of the garment by rows of stitching 21 to the front member 2| and also to the overlapped portion at the lower end of the back I9 of the top of the garment. At its upper end, the member 26 has a free edge 28, which is provided with an elastic member which may be a strip of elastic fabric secured along the edge. The construction described provides a drop seat and the free edge lies just below the waistline of the garment so that it is concealed by the trousers when the garment is worn. The provision of a drop seat as described in a garment of this type is important since the length of the garment is such that it would be impossible to provide the vertical seat opening commonly provided in underwear without having the upper end of the seat opening exposed above the waistline, Since the use of the drop seat imposes considerable strain on the garment at either end of the connection ofthe member 26 to the remainder of the garment, a reinforcing strip 29 is provided. this strip extending across the front of the garment just below the waistline, and being secured in place by upper and lower rows of stitching 30.- The stitching 21 securing the member 26 in position passes through the ends of the reinforcement 29, so that the stitching 2l' goes through several thicknesses of cloth at the upper end of the member 26, and a strong construction is to be provided.

At the lower end of the bottom or supported section of the garment, leg openings are provided, and these openings are made in part by appropriately cutting the lower edge of the rear section 26 along the curved lines indicated at 3|.

The leg openings are also in part defined by 1 the lateral edges of the crotch insert 25, by portions of the side edges of the members 22a and 22h, and by portions of the lower edges of the front member 2l. The openings are finished in any desired manner as by hems, and preferably elastic cords 32 or like resilient means are incorporated in the hems so that the leg openings t snugly without gaping.

The new garment may be made of various types of fabrics and a knitted fabric is ordinarily preferred, since the garment is intended primarily for athletic use-and the yielding qualities of knitted material make it especially suitable for thatv purpose. An open mesh knit is perhaps most desirable for the'construction of the garment, since it affords ventilation and is therefore more comfortable, but other types of knitted material or 4woven fabrics may also be used.

The new garment offers numerous advantages for sport wear, since it serves the -purpose of an outer shirt, cannot bind and interfere with the movements of the wearer, since the crotch insert is resilient, and if extraordinary strains are placed upon the insert, the rear member 26 of the supporter section will yield because of the provision of the free top edge thereof with the elastic insert. The new garment is therefore more comfortable to wear than the usual combination of an outer shirt, trunks, and a supporter, and it gives the wearer a more attractive appearance since the outer shirt is held down and cannot be drawn out of the trousers by body movements.

While I have described and illustrated the garment as including a lower section or bottom constituting a supporter which may be cut to form trunks, it is to be understood that this bottom` section may be formed with leg sections so that the bottom section has the form of shorts or ordinary underdrawers. Accordingly in the appended claims, the description of the bottom of the garment is intended to refer to constructions both with and without such leg sections.

I claim:

1. A garment which comprises a top having the form of an outer shirt and a bottom in the form of trunks connected to the top, said bottom including a front member, a rear member overlying the lower end of the back of the shirt portion and having a free upper edge extending across the garment below' the waistline, said edge having elastic means running lengthwise thereof and providing a drop seat, the central portions of the lower edges of said front and rear members being connected by means elastic in a direction through the crotch when the garment is worn, and said bottom having-leg openings on either side of the crotch.

2. A garment which comprises a top having the form of an outer shirt and a bottom in the form of trunks connected to the top,v said bottom including a front member, a rear member overlying the lower end of the back of the shirt portion and having a free upper edge extending across the garment below the waistline, said edge having elastic means running lengthwise thereof and providing a drop seat, and a crotch insert connecting the front and rear members of said bottom, said insert being elastic in a direction through the crotch when the garment is worn, said bottom having leg openings on either side of said crotch insert.

3. A garment which comprises a top having the form of an outer shirt and a bottom in the form of trunks connected to the top, said bottom including a front member, a rear member overlying the lower end of the back of the shirt portion and having a free upper edge extending across the garment below the waistline, said edge having elastic means running lengthwise thereof and providing a drop seat, and a crotch insert connecting the front and rear members of said bottom, said insert being elastic in a direction through the crotch when the garment is Worn and said bottom having leg openings on either side of said crotch insert, and a fly section in the front member, said ily sectioncomprising two pieces of fabric having their adjacent edges overlapping and free,'th free edge of the outer piece extending generally diagonally from a point at the top of the iiy section downwardly to the upper front horizontal end of the crotch insert adjacent one of the leg openings.

ALFRED L. FLESH. 

